225 Ways: Buy a backup generator, start your
own business

Be as self-reliant as possible.

46. Buy a backup power generator. They’re even starting to make solar ones. Your food won’t be at the mercy of the power company anymore, and neither will you.

47. Keep a gun if you’re not uncomfortable with it — and take gun safety classes even if you are comfortable with one. The dirty little secret of modern life is that police can’t protect you; usually the best they can do is arrive after the action is over. Unless you’re a celebrity with bodyguards, your protection is your responsibility entirely.

48. Take a skills inventory. There’s plenty of guidance on the web. Find out what you’re good at and where the holes are in your independent living skills.

49. Consider starting a company. Creation is the surest pathway to wealth. There’s nothing more beautiful about this great nation of ours than the freedom to create a going concern — and to put your company’s name on the side of your car.